


The City of Lions

by naked_Swedish_people



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Knight!Shiro, Multi, Servant!Keith, Slave!Lance, the lions are actual lions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-10-01 06:50:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10183298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naked_Swedish_people/pseuds/naked_Swedish_people
Summary: Many centuries ago, when the great cities of Liontari and Gataki were locked in battle, five brave warriors called the Paladins were sent by the Gods to help protect Liontari. There was the Green Paladin, always logical and calculating. The Yellow Paladin, caring and protective. The Red Paladin, impulsive but a strong warrior. The Blue Paladin, proud and wise. And the Black Paladin, the unspoken leader of the warriors.The Paladins went into battle and drove the Gataki into hiding. Liontari was safe from invasions with the Paladins guarding their city. But over the years the original Paladins grew old and weak, they knew they had to find people to take their place or the city would be defenseless. Each Paladin picked an apprentice in the last 4 years of their lives. It has been a tradition throughout the centuries. But it will soon be broken.





	

“Princess Allura” Lance announced his presence in the princess's chamber, he held in his arms a beautiful lilac dyed chiton and a plate of meat and cheeses.

The princess lazily looked to Lance as she untangled herself from her bed sheets, “Aw, thank you, help me get dressed”. She emerged from the bed naked and Lance lowered his eyes respectfully as he brought the fabric over the princess's body. There was another shuffle from the bed and Lance tried not to show any interest as to whom the princess had brought into her chamber. Allura had a reputation of seducing only the finest of men and Lance has gotten to see how fine they were over his years of serving the princess. To Lance’s surprise, the man that was slowly stretching his muscles out was none other than Shiro, the King’s personal guard. Lance once again adverted his gaze elsewhere while Shiro gathered his clothes.

“Princess” Shiro gripped her upper arm and pulled her close, making Lance move with her as to not rip the fabric he was currently tying, “thank you for last night, I had a wonderful time” he leaned in and kissed her cheek which Lance thought was funny.

“I should be thanking you, Shiro, all that time spent training has done you well” She swept her eyes across his still bare chest and bit her lip, Shiro flushed a bright red before glancing nervously at Lance. Lance continued to busy himself with smoothing down the folds and tying a grey sash to the princess’s hips.

Shiro made his way out of the chambers once he was dressed and Lance filled a cup with wine and laid out the breakfast on the table. “Princess, your food” was all he said when he was finished.

“Thank you Lance” Allura sat and began to eat. “Lance” she prompted after a while, “what do you think of Shiro?” Lance glanced at the princess and thought about an appropriate response. “You may speak freely” she assured.

“I think he’s quite handsome”.

Allura nodded as if lost in space, “what about his personality?” Lance didn't know Shiro all too well, as a slave he only spoke to those who spoke to him and only after permission.

“I’m sure you wouldn't bring a brute into your bed princess” Allura smiled at the comment.

“I do have good taste in men, don’t I?” She finished her breakfast and suggested they take a walk around the pavilion before her daily duties. Lance walked silently by her side, only giving quiet ‘yes princess’ and ‘of course princess’ when Allura asked him a question. He has been a slave for eight years but has only been in the capital of Liontari, Altea, as Princess Allura’s slave for two. He still couldn’t get used to the kind way they treated him, his previous employers were none too gentle. He liked it here, he tried his best to make nice with the other servants and always fulfilled his duties. He didn’t want to be sold again to someone looking for another bed warmer.

Princess Allura was sniffing a flower delicately when a guard approached, bowing slightly before saying “Princess, you are needed in the great hall”. Lance and Aluura shared a glance before making their way to the hall. When they got there, the entire council was gathered, bustling around and whispering to each other. Lance spotted Shiro standing to the side of the gold and ivory throne, his chlamys neatly in place across his shoulder.

The King was not in the throne as Allura took her place beside it. “I wonder what this is all about” She said, leaning so Shiro could hear her. Shiro just shrugged and went back to looking like a proper guard. Lance was idly scanning the crowd, looking for familiar faces. He spotted Coran, well, he spotted the bright red mustache that belonged to the cohort of the King. He was making his way to the front to stand beside Allura as was accustomed.

“Allura!” he exclaimed happily. Allura’s face went hard as she was patted on the back by Coran, she gave a quick greeting before looking out at the crowd again. Lance has always found it odd at Allura hesitation when it came to Coran, the man was very nice and made her father happy. Allura has voiced her opinion of the man while in her bedchamber, she thought he was nothing more than a lagneía, a slut, and had no business attending official matters.

The Great Hall began to quiet when King Alfor entered the room. He wore a light blue himation with touches of gold that was left to drape along his right arm, it hung low on his chest so everyone could see his white tattoos that spiraled along the expanse of the skin there. Lance felt a little silly in his short chiton, it was only one he had. King Alfor sat in his throne and looked like an imitation of the God Zeus, with his white hair and broad chest. He didn’t say anything immediately, made the console wait a couple ticks before speaking in that deep voice of his.

“Gentlemen, I have been to the oracles and have brought news with me” he paused for effect, there was nothing the King loved more than anticipation, “they have had a vision of the Paladins riding into a great battle with the Gataki”. The entire hall erupted into chaos, the men yelled their protests and objections. King Alfor let them express their opinions while he turned to his daughter. “Allura, I hope you are not too offended that I did not tell you sooner, I was afraid you would not approve”. He put his hand on her shoulder. She looked a bit sad but held her chin up and gave her father a forgiving smile.

“SILENCE!” King Alfor boomed with an oddly calm voice for someone who was yelling. The hall seemed to freeze, everyone stopped moving and speaking all at once. When Lance was first brought in front of the King he was so nervous he couldn't bring himself to look at the man in the eyes, now that he knew him better, Lance now saw the King as very respectable, gentle towards his people but not his enemies. “I have called the council here today not to discuss permission but to inform you that this will happen”, the council did not look happy at this, “I will take the paladins out this evening to scout”. For generations Liontari has been at peace, a war would throw everything they worked so hard for out of balance.

“King Alfor” came a timid voice from the crowd, “a war at this time would not be wise, we have suffered a drought for two summers n--”

The King held up a hand, “I understand it would put a strain on our city-state but the oracles never lie”, many people still did not look convinced. Allura tensed beside Lance, he wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be okay but he was only a slave and whatever he said had to be said carefully.

\---------

The King dismissed the council and soon the hall was empty save for the Princess and her father. Lance wanted to stay but Allura told him to ask the cooking staff if they needed any help. Lance bowed as he left the room. He wasn’t entirely comfortable without the Princess by his side, the guards would look at him with hostility and mummer slurs at him as he walked by alone. It had gotten better since he first came here but he could still feel their eyes on his back. He stopped at the kitchen doors and steeled himself before he walked into the room full of dead animals. He opened the door and the smell of meat made him immediately nauseous. He looked around for the head chef and spotted him by the water basins. Lance was going to ask him if he needed help but a flash of red cloth caught his attention. He looked towards the back door where he had saw the fabric and saw none other than Keith sneaking out. Lance scowled, it was so typical of Keith to skip out on his duties.

Lance and Keith had never gotten along. Lance saw the other as competition for the title of ‘best servant’. Keith never took his duties seriously. He was the personal servant of Shiro so he could afford to be absent from certain responsibilities. Lance hated it. If he ever skipped out on his duties they would sell him to the next highest bidder without blinking an eye. Lance followed the Keith outside, he kept his distance while the other walked towards the princess’s chambers. Lance was about to stop him but he thought better of it. If Lance caught Keith sneaking around in the Princess’s chambers he could get him in trouble. Lance stopped outside the door, Keith had already gone inside.

He eased the door open, careful not to make any noise. Keith was bent over Allura desk with a kalamos and papyrus in hand, he looked to be deep in thought, the kalamos hovered over the ink well.

“What do we have here?” Lance spoke, disturbing the silence and making Keith jump back, “is little Keef writing the princess a love note, how cute!” he said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Keith sputtered and blushed for a while before actually forming sentences “no, I’m…..not writing a…..” Lance rolled his eyes at how cute but also annoying Keith was.

“If you don’t want me to tell anyone you were here, you’ll have to give me a good excuse, no stuttering".

Keith took a breath before saying, “I’m here for Shiro, he felt bad about leaving the princess this morning with only a few words. So he told me to come here and leave her a note”. Lance’s eyebrows shot up, he knew the princess didn’t care if Shiro had said a hundred words or a simple nod the morning after, but it was amusing to hear how distressed Shiro was after their little encounter the night before.

“Well,” he started, walking towards Keith very slowly, “I can help, if you’d like". Keith squinted his eyes, not believing Lance wanted to help with something like this.

“What’s the catch?” he asked. A hurt expression took over Lance’s face.

“Do you think that lowly of me, Keith” Lance reached out and took Keith's hand that help the kalamos, he could feel Keith suck in a breath at the contact, “I wish only to help master Shiro express his gratitude to the princess for bedding him last night” he took the writing tool and turned to the parchment. Keith regained his composure and leaned over the table to help. “So” Lance bumped Keith shoulder, “what does master Shiro want to say to the princess?”

Keith shrugged “I don’t know, something about how her eyes are like sapphires or whatever, he doesn’t stop talking about her”. Lance felt his lips tug up in a smile, he had figured that Shiro would be a romantic.

“I think I have the perfect words” he got to work with the paper.

\--------------

The sun was hanging low in the sky when Lance and Keith slipped out of the princess’s chambers and made their way down the hall.

“Thank you” Keith said after a while of walking in silence.

Lance put on a flirty smile, “what can I say, I have a soft heart for romance” he glanced at Keith and swore he say the other blush slightly. They fell into silence again and Lance almost forgot that they were supposed to be rivals. Keith smelled like sandalwood and Lance felt his body relax into the comfortable atmosphere.

Keith sucked in a breath and turned towards Lance again, “I never asked” he hesitated, “how did you come to work at the palace?” Lance felt the atmosphere go from warm to frigid in seconds and silently cursed himself for being so sensitive. It had been two years and he still got tense when someone asked him about his life before Altea.

“It’s a long story” he answered, his voice flat and hostile to even his own ears. He turned to see Keith staring at him intently.

“We have time” he replied simply.

Lance felt his skin prick with bad memories of his past. “I was a slave for eight years” he felt his mouth go dry, “my family was split because of war when I was seven, I was sold to wealthy people many times” he kept it vague so he didn't have to disgrace his name in front of Keith.

Keith kept his eyes on Lance silently pressing for more.

“I come from Arketa, it’s no longer a city." Keith scoffed at this.

“I knew of Arketa, I could have guessed you were from there.” Lance opened his mouth, thinking what Keith said was meant as an insult but he realized it was a compliment. Arketa was known for its beautiful people and rich chocolate, a small city near the sea. Lance closed his mouth and Keith smirked at him.

Lance was about to reply when they turned the corner and were bombarded with council members running through the halls.

“What is going on?” Lance stared at the scene in surprise. Keith shook his head slowly in in-comprehensive shock. Then he grabbed Lance’s hand and ran to the nearest door which happened to be the Great Hall. There were even more councilman in the here who were all making crazy hand gestures to each other and talking very loudly.

Lance saw Allura at the front of the room sitting in her father's chair, Shiro was fidgeting beside her. Lance unlocked his and Keith’s hands and went to stand with Allura, he didn't understand why she was sitting on the throne but he would not question the princess in the midst of such chaos. When he got closer he could see Allura blue eyes overflowing with unshed tears and her cheeks were red. Shiro held her shoulder. Allura stood slowly and all eyes in the hall were on her in seconds, all conversation had ceased.

“The black lion has returned to the palace” it was so simple but it held so much meaning and sadness behind it. Lance notice how she didn't say the black paladin and suddenly understood her red trimmed eyes.

“The King--” she stopped for a breath before continuing, “is dead.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Voltron fanfic so I hope you all enjoy it and give me advice how I can make it better.


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